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Michael J. Smollin
Michael J. Smollin (1925-2010) was an illustrator whose scratchy, distinctive style was one of the defining Sesame art styles in the 1970s, alongside Joe Mathieu and Michael K. Frith. Smollin's first Sesame storybook, the 1971 Little Golden Book The Monster at the End of This Book, was an immediate sensation, selling two million copies in its first year of publication.Children's Television Workshop Newsletter. Number 27, February 1, 1973. Biography Michael Smollin was born in 1925, and grew up in East Hampton, Long Island. He attended Cornell University, and served in the infantry in World War II. He was awarded a Purple Heart for shrapnel wounds, and returned to the United States to study advertising design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn."Michael Smollin - Artist Profile", Smollin.com. Smollin worked as an ad executive for many years, but left the industry in order to become a freelance illustrator. He was a frequent contributor to TV Guide, providing humorous illustrations for articles throughout the 1970s and 80s. ''Sesame Street'' work Smollin provided the artwork for the covers and gatefolds of several early Sesame record albums, including The Muppet Alphabet Album and The Official Sesame Street 2 Book-and-Record Album in 1971, Havin' Fun with Ernie & Bert in 1972 and Merry Christmas from Sesame Street in 1975. Smollin also drew pictures for five Sesame calendars between 1976 and 1982. Smollin did not participate in any of the "Sesame Street Storybook" anthologies of the early 70s. Instead, the versatile Smollin seemed to specialize in the unusual formats -- the large-format Big Bird's Blunder Book and The Amazing Mumford and His Amazing Subtracting Trick; the rounded Cookie Monster's Circle Book; and a set of small die-cut storybooks published by Playskool in 1975. Smollin illustrated cloth books, waterproof books, small "chunky" books and even books with wheels. After the success of The Monster at the End of This Book, Smollin and writer Jon Stone collaborated on a few more books featuring Grover, including Would You Like to Play Hide & Seek in This Book With Lovable, Furry Old Grover? and Lovable Furry Old Grover's Resting Places. Smollin also illustrated several items of Sesame spin-off merchandise, including paper cups, Colorforms playsets, a collectible plate and a toy instrument kit. Smollin's involvement in Sesame Street illustration tailed off in the mid-80s, although he returned to illustrate two books in the mid-90s -- Mother Grouch Nursery Rhymes in 1995, and Another Monster at the End of This Book in 1996, a sequel to the classic storybook that he illustrated 25 years previously. In addition to his varied Sesame work, Smollin also worked on a Bob and Ray storybook by Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding, a set of joke books based on The Electric Company, and a set of Strawberry Shortcake storybooks. In 1999 and 2000, Smollin collaborated with his son Mark to create a set of Lego activity books published in Europe. This was Smollin's last professional work before he retired. Books Monster1971lgb.jpg|''The Monster at the End of This Book'' (1971)|link=The Monster at the End of This Book SSb.jpg|''Big Bird's Blunder Book'' (1972)|link=Big Bird's Blunder Book Cookiemonsterscirclebook.jpg|''Cookie Monster's Circle Book'' (1972)|link=Cookie Monster's Circle Book Book.mumfordtrick.jpg|''The Amazing Mumford and His Amazing Subtracting Trick'' (1972)|link=The Amazing Mumford and His Amazing Subtracting Trick Canyoutellmehowtogettosesamestreet.JPG|''Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?'' (1975)|link=Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street? (1975 book) Countwiththecount.jpg|''Count with the Count'' (1975)|link=Count with the Count Adayinthelifeofernie&bert.JPG|''A Day in the Life of Ernie & Bert'' (1975)|link=A Day in the Life of Ernie & Bert SSfrontbackbook.jpg|''Front & Back Book'' (1975)|link=Front & Back Book Pretendingbook-1975.jpg|''The Sesame Street Pretending Book'' (1975)|link=The Sesame Street Pretending Book playskool 1975 where do you work 1.jpg|''Where Do You Work & What Do You Do?'' (1975)|link=Where Do You Work & What Do You Do? Ernieandbertcoloringbook.jpg|''The Ernie and Bert Coloring Book'' (1976)|link=Sesame Street coloring books Inandoutcbook.jpg|''The In and Out and All About Coloring Book'' (1976)|link=The In and Out and All About Coloring Book Hideseekgrover.jpg|''Would You Like to Play Hide & Seek in This Book With Lovable, Furry Old Grover?'' (1976)|link=Would You Like to Play Hide & Seek in This Book With Lovable, Furry Old Grover? RedBook.jpg|''Big Bird's Red Book'' (1977)|link=Big Bird's Red Book Countstoppedcounting.jpg|''The Day the Count Stopped Counting'' (1977)|link=The Day the Count Stopped Counting CookieThief.jpg|''The Great Cookie Thief'' (1977)|link=The Great Cookie Thief Goodnightsesamestreet.jpg|''Good Night Sesame Street'' (1978)|link=Good Night Sesame Street Your friends from ss.jpg|''Your Friends from Sesame Street'' (1979)|link=Your Friends from Sesame Street Book.canyou.jpg|''Ernie and Bert Can... Can You?'' (1982)|link=Ernie and Bert Can... Can You? Erniesbathbook.jpg|''Ernie's Bath Book'' (1982)|link=Ernie's Bath Book Ernie's Rainy Day Book 00.png|''Ernie's Rainy Day Book'' (1982)|link=Ernie's Rainy Day Book Book.inoutupdown.jpg|''In & Out, Up & Down'' (1982)|link=In & Out, Up & Down Mother goose 00 cover.jpg|''The Sesame Street Players Present Mother Goose'' (1982)|link=The Sesame Street Players Present Mother Goose Ernieandbertsdeliveryservice.jpg|''Ernie & Bert's Delivery Service'' (1983)|link=Ernie & Bert's Delivery Service Book.restingplaces.jpg|''Lovable Furry Old Grover's Resting Places'' (1984)|link=Lovable Furry Old Grover's Resting Places Babypiggygoldilocks.jpg|''Goldilocks: Baby Piggy's Dream'' (1985)|link=Goldilocks: Baby Piggy's Dream Mothergrouch.jpg|''Mother Grouch Nursery Rhymes'' (1995)|link=Mother Grouch Nursery Rhymes Anothermonster-lgb.jpg|''Another Monster at the End of This Book'' (1996)|link=Another Monster at the End of This Book Book.pleasedonotopen.jpg|''Please Do Not Open this Book!'' (2006)|link=Please Do Not Open this Book! golden bookmobile.jpg|Back cover of some Sesame Street Little Golden Books Other Sesame illustrations AlphabetAlbumLP.jpg|''The Muppet Alphabet Album'' (1971)|link=The Muppet Alphabet Album SS2BookandRecord.jpg|''The Official Sesame Street 2 Book-and-Record Album'' (1971)|link=The Official Sesame Street 2 Book-and-Record Album Havin'Fun-(LPBack).jpg|''Havin' Fun with Ernie & Bert'' (1972)|link=Havin' Fun with Ernie & Bert Puppetfrms 2.jpg|Ernie and Bert Puppetforms Theater (1973)|link=Ernie and Bert Puppetforms Theater Turn_and_tell_4.jpg|''Turn and Tell'' 1973|link=Turn and Tell Ssmag.197305.jpg|''Sesame Street Magazine'' (1973 - 1982)|link=Sesame Street Magazine Cuppets1.jpg|Muppet Cuppets (early 1970s)|link=Muppet Cuppets Colorforms-kitchen.jpg|Cookie Monster's Colorforms Kitchen (1974)|link=Cookie Monster's Colorforms Kitchen Colorforms-playtime.jpg|Ernie & Bert's Colorforms Playtime (1974)|link=Ernie & Bert's Colorforms Playtime Image:Knickerbocker1975.jpg|1975 Knickerbocker toy catalog|link=:Category:Knickerbocker Image:Sesame map SSmag June75.jpg|Sesame Street magazine (June 1975) MerryXmasSSGatefold.jpg|''Merry Christmas from Sesame Street'' (1975)|link=Merry Christmas from Sesame Street 00wp.jpg|''Sesame Street'' Look-Inside puzzles (1975)|link=Sesame Street puzzles (Playskool) 1976 sesame calendar 00 front cover.jpg|''The Sesame Street 1976 Calendar|link=The Sesame Street 1976 Calendar Whitman1977MagicSlateHerry.jpg|Sesame Street Magic Slates (1976-1981)|link=Sesame Street Magic Slates Calendar.sesame1977.jpg|The Sesame Street 1977 Calendar|link=The Sesame Street 1977 Calendar Countcolorforms1.jpg|The Count's Colorforms Castle (1977)|link=The Count's Colorforms Castle Playskool1977NumberMatchups.jpg|Match-Ups games (1977)|link=Match-Ups Grover and the whale.jpg|Puzzle (1977) Trash collection oscar puzzle.jpg|Puzzle (1977) Calendar.sesame1978.jpg|Sesame Street 1978 Calendar|link=Sesame Street 1978 Calendar SSseason10.JPG|10th Anniversary logo|link=Season 10 (1978-1979) 1978 MSmollin-10thLogos.jpg|Alternate 10th anniversary logos 1978 Blocks 1.jpg|Sesame Street Building Blocks 1978|link=Sesame Street Building Blocks Calendar.sesame1980.jpg|The Sesame Street Calendar: The 1980 World Games|link=The Sesame Street Calendar: The 1980 World Games Calendar.sesame1981.jpg|The Sesame Street 1981 Mother Goose Calendar|link=The Sesame Street 1981 Mother Goose Calendar Sesameplate1981.jpg|Collectible plate (1981)|link=Sesame Street plates (Gorham) Calendar.sesame1982-storybook.jpg|The Sesame Street Storytime Calendar 1982|link=The Sesame Street Storytime Calendar 1982 child guidance 1982 traveling band michael smollin art 1.jpg|Sesame Street Traveling Band (1982)|link=Sesame Street Traveling Band File:TVGUIDE Mar 3 1990.jpg|TV Guide'' cover March 3-9, 1990|link=TV Guide Sources External links *The Books of Michael Smollin *Mike Smollin Obituary __NOWYSIWYG__ Category:Illustrators